Santa Cruz homeless housing effort changes tack

SANTA CRUZ &GT;&GT; After the city's denial of a proposal to invite the community to camp out for the night with the homeless, local advocates are regrouping.

Brent Adams, one of the Santa Cruz Sanctuary Camp, said his group will start with a rebranding to reflect a change in course. The group has re-dubbed itself Santa Cruz Sanctuary Village, and is now aiming to court property owners outside the city for short-term pilot camps, Adams said.

In March, Adams and co-organizer Stacey Falls applied to the city for a special events permit to hold a one-night "Community Campout" this month in San Lorenzo Park. Adams, during an earlier interview, said the campout was designed to increase public awareness and support for an effort to create a homeless sanctuary in Santa Cruz.

"What we're doing now is taking some of the criticism and transforming a little bit," Adams said. "Our aim was to use micro-homes, but we were going to start with tents at first. It looks like the community is more resistent to the tent idea ... We are committed to transitioning people into permanent housing; that's been the plan all along."

In processing the campout permit application, several red flags arose for city officials, according to a rejection letter sent to Adams and Falls and provided by the city to the Sentinel. Assistant City Manager Tina Shull listed concerns such as potential impacts on the city's public safety resources on a Friday, already a high-impact night, lack of control over attendance numbers and marketing of event as a "Super Massive Slumber Party." The letter also cited organizers' hands-off approach to participants camping nearby or already in the park prior to the event.

"In other words, the safety plan ... appears predicated on the best-case scenario and fails to acknowledge or address the genuine risk that the event and park may be overrun by others attracted to your event but who may have no interest in complying with the conditions of use," Shull wrote, citing problems with demonstrations in recent years at the same park.

Adams said he and others will continue in their efforts to create homeless housing, and also to establish plans for emergency warming shelters. He plans to attend today's Project Homeless Connect event, which will offer short- and long-term resources to the homeless.

"We're not looking for a battle, we're looking for a solution to the problem," Adams said.